Advances in Understanding Inflammation in Atherosclerosis: From Mechanisms to Therapeutic Targets
A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cellular Pathology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 October 2025 | Viewed by 550
Special Issue Editors
Interests: innate immunity; inflammation; atherosclerosis; epigenetics; GWAS risk variants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of mortality worldwide, and recent research has indicated that atherosclerosis—a chronic, progressive condition in the arteries—is driven not only by lipid accumulation but also by complex immune and inflammatory processes. While lipid-lowering treatments have reduced cardiovascular risk to an extent, they still do not fully address the immune dysregulation that occurs within atherosclerosis. In recent years, studies have illuminated the critical role of immune cells, such as macrophages, T-cells, and dendritic cells, and their effector molecules, such as chemokines and cytokines, in orchestrating the inflammatory responses that fuel atherosclerosis. The significance of immune modulation in treating atherosclerosis has been underscored by clinical trials such as CANTOS, COLCOT, and LoDoCo2, which have demonstrated that selectively targeting inflammation can reduce cardiovascular events. These findings have paved the way for a new era of immunotherapies in cardiovascular medicine, emphasizing the need to control inflammation without impairing the body’s ability to defend against infections.
This Special Issue will explore the evolving immune landscape of atherosclerosis in human and model organisms, presenting studies that decode both the cellular and molecular signatures of atherosclerotic plaques. We welcome original research, reviews, and translational studies that investigate various aspects of immune regulation, including, but not limited to, novel pathways involving epigenetic signatures and novel therapies such as small-molecule inhibitors. By incorporating leading research on the intricate inflammatory pathways underlying atherosclerosis, this Special Issue will pave the way for future breakthroughs in cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Yaw Asare
Dr. Michael Lacy
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- atherosclerosis
- inflammatory pathways
- monocytes/macrophages
- endothelial cells
- innate immunity
- inflammasome
- IL-1β
- cytokines and chemokines
- neutrophils
- epigenetic mechanisms
- adaptive immunity
- small-molecule inhibitors
- T cells
- B cells
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